Abstract

This paper is a response to J.C. Oleson’s article “The Punitive Coma” , which suggests that prisoners should be put into a narcotic coma in order to abolish prison violence and make imprisonment less expensive and more efficient. I argue that this treatment is an unusual and cruel punishment that not only violates most of the constitutional rights of prisoners but most of all deprives them of their human dignity. Furthermore, it would have considerable negative impacts on the Criminal Justice system and broader society and therefore must never be al-lowed to be introduced.